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Trekking Everest Base Camp had been a dream of everyone who has adventurous spirit for a lifetime. You can learn a bit trekking skills and have some valuable tips that we want to share with any future trekkers to make your adventure easier.

Everest Base Camp Pages

How to prevent altitude sickness while trekking to Mt Everest Base Camp?

June 12, 2017

It’s more and more popular for travelers in the world to go for Everest Base Camp trek , whatever in Tibet side or in Nepal side. But m...

It’s more and more popular for travelers in the world to go for Everest Base Camp trek, whatever in Tibet side or in Nepal side. But most of them are very worried about altitude illness. So here are some useful tips to have a better understanding of the altitude illness before they go.

Know the different types of altitude sickness in Everest Base Camp trek.

AMS：Acute Mountain Sickness is the most dangerous form of Altitude Sickness, as well as the most common in Everest Base Camp trek. Travelers have different susceptibilities to it. It can begin to appear at around 6,600 ft above sea level for some otherwise healthy travelers. The symptoms of AMS are a light headache, unusual fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach illness, dizziness, sleep disturbance and much more. In the most cases, it will be treatable on the trial and many sufferers choose to make it to the EBC. However, in extreme cases, it could be life threatening.

HAPE: You will feel like you are drowning and make difficulty breathing when you suffer from High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (fluids collected in the lungs). Luckily, it’s a very low probability to be suffered in Everest Base Camp. Besides, If not treated on time, it may be fatal.

HACE: The full name is High Altitude Cerebral Edema. It is a medical condition in which the brain swells with fluid due to the physiological effects of traveling to a high altitude. The symptoms are including in disorientation, lethargy, and nausea among other symptoms. It is a rare condition, occurring in less than one percent of people who ascend to 13,000 ft. However, if not treated on time, patients usually die within 48 hours.

How to prevent altitude sickness during an Everest Base Camp Trek?

1 Know yourself first

Have you ever had an altitude sickness before? If so, you have a higher risk of having it again. You need to consult your doctor if you are a fit trekker, as well as obtain Diamox from the doctor if it necessary. If you decide to take Diamox, it’s better to start with a small dose (125mg morning and evening) to minimize unpleasant symptoms (tingling, itching, excessive urination).

2 Train before you trek to Everest base camp

Before you do the trek a month ago, it’s a good idea for you to try for some appropriate exercise, such as running, swimming, plenty of walking. Also, you can try for a hike in hills which is around home for many weeks. There is no doubt that training at home routinely makes it easier and faster to acclimatize into the thin air. The Altitude sickness can even affect anyone even a fit trekker. Altitude sickness does not discriminate!

3 Trekking slowly

You need to trek at conversation pace and breathe normally when you trekking to Everest base camp, which will give your body time to acclimatize. You don’t have to feel sorry if you are behind, nobody cares who is first!

4 Try to sleep at the lowest possible altitude.

It’s good for your body time to recuperate and adjust. When you do a trekking to Everest base camp, it’s a reasonable design for gaining altitude during the day and return to a lower altitude in the evening for overnight sleep.

5 Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water

What’s the most important and effective way to prevent altitude sickness is that stay Hydrated during the trekking. The more hydrated you have, the better you will feel. In this case, you can assimilate much more oxygen into your blood stream and deliver it throughout the body more efficiently. Also, you need to keep track of your fluid intake to make sure that you’re getting enough. It’s very important for you! We encourage travelers to drink 5 liters of fluid or more while trekking to Everest Base Camp. The other rule of thumb is that if your urine is clear and copious, then you are drinking enough. Also, it’s good for to try electrolyte drink mixes which will help replenish electrolytes lost from sweating and exertion. What’s more, don’t drink too much water without replacing electrolytes, it will able to make you hyponatremic.

6 No alcohol

In addition to staying well hydrated, you'd better try to avoid substances that act as diuretics or depressants, such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, antihistamines, sleeping pills and other depressant drugs. It’s harmful to you during Everest trekking.

7 Try to pressure breathing

There is an active way to prevent altitude sickness is pressure breathing or purposeful hyperventilation. It’s said that the more you force yourself to breathe deeply or force out the old stale air in your lungs, the more you will get rid of your body of carbon dioxide and let your body take on more oxygen. That means your body will be allowed to transport more oxygen molecules around the body when combining with proper hydration. It’s very effective and employed by most of the successful high-altitude mountaineers.

8 Be honest

If you suffer altitude sickness on the trail, you need to report your guide without hesitation. Don’t try to hide it or “tough it up”. It may happen to every traveler, even return back to home from a lower elevation. Because of these careless act, it may result in an emergency evacuation and be life threatening.

How to do if I suffer altitude sickness during an Everest Base Camp Trek?

1 Many travelers may suffer a light headache. In most cases, it is treatable on the trail. Most of the travel agency will bring an oxy-meter to measure oxygen intake and some medicine. You can read their terms when you book tour. Otherwise, you need to report your guide without hesitation.

2 If you suffer serious altitude sicknesses such as serious headaches with difficulty breathing, vomiting and much more. You will cure by the supplementary oxygen and a Gamow bag. But if it didn’t work, you will immediately be escorted to a lower altitude and brought to the nearest clinic for treatment.

3 If both the clinic and guide decide you need further treatment, helicopter evacuation will be arranged as soon as possible.

If these tips can help you be better prepared for the trek, it’s great! Hope your travel to Everest Base Camp is safe, enjoyable, and successful. If there are still other questions, you can contact me anytime by email: support@greattibettour.com.